Flashing Lights (Scarlett X G!P Reader)

Chapter 31

Attendance Timeeee

Your POV

Once Rose is asleep, I head downstairs to Scarlett on the couch and sigh, "Well, I should head home. Need to shower and all. Still kinda gross from the show."

She perks her head up from her laptop to look at me, then frowns, "You can't leave yet."

There's low music being played, but I can make out the trumpet and instantly know who it is.

"Miles Davis?" I ask with my finger pointed up at one of the speakers in the ceiling and she hums, offering a guilty smile, "It's relaxing."

"It's your 'I want to drink wine and do work' kind of music," I chuckle and walk over to her, taking a seat on the carpet beside her and glancing at the laptop.

"Scheduling?"

"Yeah, just trying to figure out when we'll be able to see each other. I haven't seen you in a week and I feel like it's been years. We only have tonight together and then you're going to Chicago for a show. I have Sing 2 filming coming up and reshoots for Black Widow. We're not going to be seeing much of one another. And on top of our actual jobs we have appearances and interviews–" "Hey, hey," I whisper and place my hand on top of hers.

Scarlett sucks in a deep breath and closes her eyes, trying to breathe out slowly but I can hear the stress in the air she's letting out.

"I'm sorry. It's just that...Not seeing you for a week was hard. And dinner was amazing but–" "But we had to hide in the back corner so no one would see us together because we're keeping it a secret still? I know."

Her eyes instantly flash with guilt and before I can catch myself, she closes her laptop and rubs her chest, grabbing onto her necklace and turning to me.

"I know. And I...I want to tell people. I do."

"It's okay if you're not ready. We've never really had the talk about coming out and stuff. It's not the easiest thing in the world so I get it."

There. The stress almost completely lifts off of her shoulders at that but I can see the nerves. I know what it feels like. Coming out sucked. And everyone finding out my little genetic secret in middle school sucked even worse. And that happened before I even came out.

But coming out when you're already one of the most famous celebrities there is? That's not easy. It can't be.

"I just get so nervous. I know all of our friends know and my family and there's the rumors of course. But actually saying it is so different. What if it cuts down my job opportunities? Or what if it just makes it that much harder for men to take me seriously? I've dealt with sexism and objectification before, I deal with it every day. I'm pretty sure when film classes talk about 'the male gaze' they give examples of me in schools and how badly I've been on the receiving end of it."

I pull my lips into my mouth, nodding along but not saying a word. She needs to let this out, I can tell. All the shit she has dealt with in this business, I am sure that she's been waiting to vent about it.

"I am so sick of being 'the sexy one' or the superhero who is just there to look pretty. In interviews I get asked the most ridiculous questions whether it's about my diet to stay in shape for Marvel films which none of the guys get asked, or what color underwear I am wearing...and if I share this part of myself with the world I just...It's going to get so much worse. I don't think I can handle it getting any worse, Y/N."

As she speaks I grow angrier and angrier.

Not with her, with the world. I've seen those interviews, heard people shouting them at us when we walk out in public together.